Rich colorful Romesco sauce features almonds, olive oil, peppers and tomatoes….ingredients widely used in Spanish cuisine. It’s not surprising almonds and olive oil are popular ingredients in many Spanish dishes: Spain is the number one producer of olive oil in Europe and second to the United States in producing almonds. Serve the sauce with fish or shellfish and/or grilled vegetables, or on crostini. It is also an excellent dip for crudités (assorted raw vegetables).

Romesco Sauce

Yield: about 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 medium red pepper, and

• 1 orange or red Cubanelle pepper roasted, peeled, seeds and membranes removed

• 3 medium tomatoes or 4 Roma tomatoes (about 3/4 pound)

• 2 thick slices (about 2 ounces) baguette or country-style bread, crusts removed, lightly toasted

• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled

• ½ cup toasted almonds, or a combination of almonds and skinned roasted hazelnuts (I use ¼ c. of each)

• 1 to 2 teaspoons pure ground smoky ancho chile powder, or regular chili powder to taste (*Note: 1 tsp. is mild; 2 tsp. has a bit of heat)

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika or Spanish smoked paprika (pimentón) (*Note: use regular paprika if you use smoky ancho chili powder; use the smoked pimentón with regular chili powder.)

• Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoon sherry vinegar

• ¼ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, as needed

  (*Note: Romesco will keep for a few days in a tightly sealed glass container in the fridge.)

Preparation:

Preheat the broiler and cover a baking sheet with foil.

1. Lightly toast the bread and nuts and set aside.

2. Cut the tomatoes in half, core and seed them; do the same with the peppers and quarter them.

3. Place the tomatoes and fresh peppers skin side up on the baking sheet and place under the broiler at the highest setting. Broil for two to four minutes, until skin is charred. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. The skins on the tomatoes should peel off easily; you may have to scrape off the pepper skins after a few minutes. (see *Note about peppers)

4. Add the garlic cloves to a food processor and process until the garlic is chopped and adheres to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Add the toasted almonds (or almonds and hazelnuts), bread and chile powder to the bowl and process to a dry paste.

5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the peppers, tomatoes, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper and process until smooth.

6. With the machine running on slow, add the vinegar and olive oil in a slow stream, beginning with the smaller amount of olive oil and adding more until you achieve the consistency you want. Increase the speed and process until well mixed and scrape into a bowl.

7. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt or chile as desired.

8. Allow the sauce to stand for an hour or more at room temperature to meld the flavors before using.

9. Left-over sauce will keep in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container for several days.

*Note: if you don’t want to bother roasting, peeling, and seeding the peppers, an acceptable substitute is a 12 ounce jar of Roasted Peppers, drained and patted dry. Proceed as above.

Seared Scallops:

Serves 4

1. Use 12 large sea scallops, preferably flash frozen, to avoid the bitter taste of chemically treated scallops.

2. Pat the scallops dry and salt and pepper them.

3. Heat a heavy frying pan like a cast iron skillet until it is very hot. (Your seasoned cast iron pan will begin to smoke.)

4. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, swirl the oil in the pan and add 6 scallops, cooking without moving the scallops for 2 minutes per side. Flip the scallops and cook for an additional 2 minutes. This should ensure a nice seared crust on the scallops without over-cooking them.

5. Remove the scallops to a platter and tent; repeat the process above with the remaining 6 scallops.

Prepare the plates:

Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of Romesco onto a small plate, top with 3 scallops on each plate.
Garnish with a few strands of green Japanese Salad for added color and texture. (optional)
Serve with a crusty bread to dip in the delicious sauce.

A Spanish Albariño or Verdejo, or a light Italian Vermentino, a soft Sauvignon Blanc, or even a slightly effervescent Portuguese Vinho Verde pair well with this dish. Salud!

Adapted from: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016089-martha-rose-shulmans-romesco-sauce